Tapered filling quill



ar ,1967 c.' c. BAGWELL, JR, ETAL 3,

' TAPERED FILLING QUILL 7 Filed April 1, 1964 FIG. 2

FIG. 11

INVENTORS CHARLES C. BAGWELLJR.

ERNEST R. STEWART ATTORNEYS the body portion.

United States Patent C 3,307,801 TAPERED FILLING QUILL Charles C. Bagwell, Jr., Columbus, Ga., and Ernest R.

Stewart, Charlottesville, Va., assignors to Institute f Textile Technology, Charlottesville, Va., a corporation of Virginia Filed Apr. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 356,600 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-1183) The present invention relates to filling quills used in automatic weaving looms for holding a supply of yarn and more particularly to a filling quill having an improved tapered construction for controlling the appearance of the material woven in such looms. With the filling quill of the present invention, a supply of yarn may be wound thereon in such a manner that the tension in the leading end of the yarn as it is withdrawn from the free end of the quill and fed to the shuttle of the loom may be maintained at a substantially constant value. In addition, the construction of the filling quill of the present invention permits a greater quantity of yarn to be wound thereon without increasing the overall diameter of the quill package over conventional packages.

In the manufacturing of fabric in automatic shuttle looms, it is the present practice to supply the filling to the fabric being woven from successive filling quills and to automatically replace each filling quill as it becomes depleted. To effect this substitution of the quills, a sensing device is mounted in the loom for sliding movement back and forth over the layers of filling last to be unwound from the quill whereby when the bare quill is exposed to the sensing device, its replacement with a full quill will be initiated and completed without breaking the supply of filling to the fabric.

Each quill as it is carried by the conventional shuttle back and forth across the loom leaves'behind a single strand of filling. At the commencement of the weaving operation, conventional tensioning mechanism mounted inside the shuttle is set to a predetermined value so as to pull the yarn from the quill with a predetermined force that is maintained throughout the weaving operation. With conventionally constructed quills, however, a frictional drag is created on the yarn being unwound from the quill which in turn increases the tension in the yarn over the preset value as the quill is exhausted. The level of this tension is particularly high as the last quarter of the yarn is unwound from the quill; and this increase in tension from full to empty quill is known to seriously effect the number of filling breaks that occur during the weaving operation and also the appearance of the fabric at or near the area of quill change.

In construction, conventional quills are generally spindle shaped and provided at one end with an enlarged butt section for mounting the quill in the shuttle mechanism of the weaving loom. The remaining portion of these quills defines the winding section upon which yarn is wound to a predetermined diameter. This winding section, in turn, is divided into two portions, namely the base portion and In the conventional quill, the base portion is generally smooth and of constant diameter and .covers about a quarter of the length of the winding section of the quill. The body portion of the conventional quills constitutes the remaining part of the winding section and extends to the free end or tip of the quill. This section is usually provided with a plurality of spaced circumferential grooves and an outer surface which is tapered from the base portion to the tip of the quill. In conventional quills having a total winding section length of about 7% inches with a maximum outside diameter of 0.690 inch, this taper is very slight and amounts to a substantially constant level.

change in the outer diameter of the quill of less than 0.2 inch from one end of the body section to the other.

Generally, yarn wound on conventional quills is wound in progressively overlapping layers of a length less than the length of the quill to produce a full quill of predetermined maximum diameter in which the outer surface of the yarn defines a package generally cylindrical in shape with conically tapered ends. In order, however, to build the yarn on the base portion of the quill to define a conically tapered end facing the butt section of the quill and to provide a leading tapered surface facing the body portion of the quill from which the remaining tapered end can be formed, the first layers of yarn are wound in a fiat wind whereby the individual coils lie parallel to the surface of the quill and extend over a length approximately the length of the base portion of the quill. And as this winding is being effected, a conventional builder mechanism arranges the coils in such a manner that eventually a supply of yarn is wound on the base portion of the quill to define the conically tapered end facing the butt section of the quill and the opposed conically tapered surface. Once this conically tapered surface facing the body portion of the quill has been produced, the yarn is then progressively wound on the remaining portion of the quill in layers partially overlapping each other in such a manner that the conically tapered surface is maintained at all times and the resulting package is produced with a conically tapered end facing the tip of the quill.

When a conventional filling quill having yarn wound thereon as described above is used for supplying the yarn to a weaving loom and the yarn is pullel ofi the free end or tip of the quill with a predetermined force by the fiight of the shuttle across the loom, the tension in the yarn extending between the quill and the shuttle will increase as the filling quill empties with the greatest amount of increase occurring as the last quarter of the yarn is withdrawn. There are two primary contributing factors which alfect this increase in tension. First, as the yarn is pulled off the tip of the quill, its direction of travel, will extend along the longitudinal axis of the quill, and accordingly, as the quill empties, there will be an ever increasing amount of quill body around and over which the yarn must travel. This increasing surface contact between the quill and the yarn produces a frictional drag on the yarn tending to hold it on the quill and thereby increases the tension in the yarn extending between the quill and the shuttle. The second contributing factor tending to increase the tension in the yarn results from the manner in which the first portion of the yarn, the first several hundred yards, is originally wound on the base portion of the quill in order to build the conically tapered end and leading surface as described above. Since this portion of the yarn is disposed on the base portion of the quill in a flat wind with the outer surface of each layer lying in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the quill, an additional frictional drag is produced on the yarn as it is drawn over the surface of the remaining layers of yarn. With yarn wound on conventional filling quills, the tension in the yarn being withdrawn by the conventionally operated shuttle may increase as much as ten fold as the quill is emptied.

With the filling quill constructed according to the teachings of the present invention, however, tension variations in the yarn fed across the loom by the flight of the shuttle are reduced to a minimum and maintained at a This not only eliminates the number of filling breaks usually caused by tension variations where conventional quills are used during the Weaving operation, but also allows for the production of fabric having a uniform appearance which is unaffected by the quill changes that may be required during the weaving operation. In addition to the above advantages, applicants quill construction permits a greater quantity of yarn to be wound thereon as compared to conventional quills without increasing the outer diameter of the completed package. The improved quill also permits the detection device used for sensing the exhausted state of the quill to actuate the quill replacement operation at the proper time whereby substantially no yarn will remain on the quill when it is actually ejected and replaced with a full quill.

Generally, applicants filling quill comprises a spindle shaped member having a butt section at one end adapted for mounting into conventional shuttle mechanism and a winding section at the other end adapted to receive a quantity of yarn. With applicants quill, the winding section is divided into two parts, namely the base portion and the body portion, and these two portions define a continuous although non-uniform taper extending the full length of the winding section of the quill. The base portion of applicants quill takes up approximately one quarter of this winding section in the area immediately adjacent the butt section of the quill and is provided with shallow grooves circumferentially formed thereon. In addition, a small shoulder facing the winding section of the quill is provided between the tapered base portion and the butt section to provide a sharp line of demarcation separating these two parts of the quill. The body portion of the quill constructed according to the teachings of the present invention also has a tapered surface but this surface is provided with sharply defined circumferential grooves spaced therealong as opposed to the shallow grooves of the base portion. The quill is also provided with a bore extending through the butt section of the quill and into the winding section. In the preferred construction, this bore does not extend the full length of the quill but terminates adjacent the tip thereof.

With the improved construction as just described, yarn may be wound on the base portion of the quill to define a conically tapered surface facing the body portion of the quill without requiring any fiat winding and, accordingly, as the last few hundred yards of yarn are withdrawn from the quill, no increase in tension will be caused by frictional dragging of the yarn over the underlying layers. The grooving of the base portion will prevent the yarn wound in that area from prematurely sliding off the quill before desired, and with the specific construction of the grooves of the base portion providing a relatively smooth outer contour, conventional detection devices for sensing when the quill is nearly exhausted may be permitted to slide freely back and forth over the base portion of the quill thus permitting maximum use of the yarn on the quill before it is ejected from the shuttle and replaced with a full quill.

As mentioned, the body portion of the quill of the present invention is provided with a tapered surface and sharply defined grooves. The degree of taper is somewhat less than the degree of taper in the base portion of the quill but greater than the taper found in conventional quills to give an overall construction much superior to conventional quills. Not only does this construction minimize the tension variations in the filling leading to the shuttle but it also permits a greater quantity of yarn to be wound on the quills without increasing the outer dimensions of the package.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the empty filling quill of the present invention, and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the quill of the present invention with the filling yarn wound thereon.

As shown in the drawings, the filling quill of the present invention includes a core member 1, preferably wooden, which is generally divided into two sections, namely a butt mounting section A and a yarn winding section B. In addition, the winding section is divided into two portions of specific but different contour. For purposes of descripton, these are called the base portion a and the body portion b. Extending through the quill along its longitudinal axis is a bore 2. This bore does not extend through the entire length of the quill but terminates adjacent the free end or tip 3 for purposes supplying strength to the quill. Filling yarn 4 that is to be fed to the material being woven in the loom is wound in layers 5 on the winding section of the quill as shown in FIG. 2.

Referring in more detail to the drawings, the outer surface 6 of the butt section of the quill is generally cylindrical and provided with a plurality of spaced grooves 7 in which are positioned steel rings 8. The rings 8 are adapted to cooperate with spring clips, not shown, in the shuttle of the loom for holding the quill in proper position during its travel back and forth across the loom. These spring clips are a conventional part of the shuttle and themselves are provided with grooves for receiving the steel rings 8; and when the quill is in position in the shuttle, the wooden outer surface 7 of the butt section A is effectively in engagement with the inner surface of the steel clips and the ends of the clips extend slightly beyond the butt section of the quill into the winding section B.

In order that the clips of the shuttle will not interfere with the unwinding of the yarn from the quill, the butt section A terminates in a shoulder 9. In the preferred construction, the butt section of the quill is constructed with an outside diameter of 1.035 inch while the winding section of the quill immediately adjacent the shoulder is constructed with a maximum outside diameter of 0.975 inch thereby defining a shoulder of 0.060 inch.

As indicated above, the winding section of the quill constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention includes a base portion a and a body portion b, both of which are formed with a specific yarn engaging surface. More specifically, the base portion a is formed with a tapered surface facing away from shoulder 9. In a quill having an overall length of 8 /4 inches, this taper extends for abougl'fi; inches along the winding section of the quill and during this length, drops from an outerdiameter of 0.975 at the base of the shoulder 9 to an outer diameter of 0.635 inch so as to produce an effective taper of 2.2 inches per foot. This tapered surface, eliminates the necessity for the tension producing fiat wind found on conventional quills and reduces the frictional drag of the yarn against the already exposed portion of the quill that normally tends to hold the yarn against unwinding.

In order, however, to prevent the yarn from prematurely pulling away from the base portion of the quill as the shuttle moves back and forth across the loom, shallow circumferential grooves 14 are formed along the outer periphery of the quill as shown in FIG. 1. These grooves are separated at their outer boundaries by rounded ridges 11 which together with the grooves form a rippled yet relatively smooth outer yarn engaging surface. The base portion of the quill thus formed aids in maintaining the tension on the yarn unwound from this segment of the quill substantially constant as it is fed across the loom; and in addition, provides a quill that can be readily used in todays automatic looms.

This latter advantage of applicants quill is of some importance when considering looms in which automatic replacement of the quills is desired. In practice it is of course desirable to unwind as much yarn from each quill as possible before replacing that quill. However, it is also necessary in automatic looms that a continual supply of yarn be available during the quill replacement operation. To assure both of these results, it is therefore necessary that any sensing mechanism that is used for determining when quill replacement is to be initiated be operative to accurately locate the precise point where there is just enough yarn remaining on the quill to successfully effect a quill replacement but not such an amount that will leave yarn on the ejected quill. Conventional sensing mechanisms include feeler arms that are moved back and forth across the base portion of the quill for sensing when quill replacement is to be made. These feeler arms are, however, quite sensitive to bumping and therefore require for proper operation that the underlying quill be substantially smooth.

In applicants construction as described above, the grooves are shallow and constructed with round ridges 11 disposed between the individual grooves. In this manner, the conventional type of sensing mechanism may be readily used with applicants quill for sensing precisely when the last layers of yarn are being unwound from the quill and when replacement of the quill is to begin.

In the second portion of the winding section of applicants quill, namely the body portion b, the original rate of taper is reduced to 0.72 inch per foot'whereby the tip 3 of the quill is provided with an outside diameter of 0.285 inch. Although the taper in this portion of applicants quill is less than in the base portion, it is nevertheless approximately twice that present in conventional quills. In addition to the tapered surface, applicants quill, as indicated above, is provided with grooves extending the full length of the winding section. In the body portion, however, the shallow grooves of the base portion of the quill are replaced by sharply defined grooves 12 of semicircular cross-section. These'grooves assure that the yarn wound on this portion of the quill will not only be held in place but will assist in holding in place the yarn wound on the base portion of the quill where the taper is steeper and the grooves shallower. Also, the tip 3 of the body portion of the quill is solid in cross-section to give strength to the overall construction when inserted into the shuttle of the loom.

In winding a supply of yarn onto the quill constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, it is not necessary to start with any fiat winding as with conventional quills due to the fact that the base portion a of applicants quill is provided with its own taper facing the tip of the quill. In actual practice, a few feet of yarn are merely wound in a so called bunch against the shoulder 9 as shown in FIG. 2 to get the yarn started on the quill and to provide a reserve that can be used while the subsequent replacement of that particular quill is being effected. After this bunch of yarn has been formed, the yarn is then wound directly onto the .quill in layers 5 with the positioning of the layers being controlled to produce an outer contour as shown in FIG. 2. Due to the original shape of the base portion of the quill, a tapered surface facing the tip of the quill will automatically be formed and can be easily carried through to the end of the quill.

Compared with conventional quills of the same overall length as applicants preferred quill, 8% inches, the weight of yarn that may be wound on the latter is between ten and twenty percent greater. For example, with a conventional quill in which a fiat wind must be produced to form a package having both ends conical-1y tapered, the net weight of yarn that can be wound within a predetermined maximum package diameter is about 50.0 grams whereas on applicants quill, the net weight of yarn that may be wound within that same predetermined package diameter is 58.8 grams. This difference of 8.8 grams represents an increase of 17.6 per cent in net weight of yarn.

Once applicants quill has been wound with yarn and placed in a conventional automatic loom .and the tension mechanism of the shuttle set to pull the yarn from the uill with a predetermined force, withdrawal of yarn vwill continue under the same pulling force as the quill is depleted and with applicants tapered construction, depletion of the supply of yarn will cause substantially no change in the tension of the yarn extending between the quill and the woven material. Also, when applicants quill has been unwound back to the base portion, the conventional type of yarn sensing mechanism presently used in automatic looms may come into operation to sense when replacement of the quill should be made.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it is apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A filling quill comprising an elongated spindle member having a mounting section .at one end and a .winding section beginning adjacent the mounting section and extending the remaining legth of the spindle member substantially to the other end thereof, said winding section including first and second tapered winding surfaces with said first winding surface being disposed between said mounting section and said second winding surface and being tapered at a greater angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of said spindle than said second winding surface, said winding section further having a plurality of circumferential grooves spaced along the longitudinal axis of said spindle with the grooves in said first winding surface being defined by shallow, smoothly curved surfaces separated by rounded ridges and having a width greater than their depth to provide said first winding surface with a smooth, continuously rippled outer yarn engaging contour.

2. A filling quill according to claim 1 wherein the grooves in the second winding surface of said winding section are substantially semicircular in cross-section.

-3. A filling quill according to claim 2 wherein the portion adjacent said mounting section defines approximately one fourth of the winding section.

4. A filling quill according to claim 3 wherein the por tion adjacent said mounting section has a maximum diameter of about one inch and is tapered at a rate of about 2.2 inches per foot.

5. A filling quill according to claim 4 wherein the remaining portion of said winding section is tapered at about 0.72 inch per foot.

6. A filling quill for holding a supply of yarn wound thereon in conical, overlapping layers comprising an elongated spindle member having a mounting section at one end and a winding section beginning adjacent the mounting section and extending the remaining length of the spindle member substantially to the other end thereof, said winding section including first and second tapered winding surfaces with said first winding surface being disposed between said mounting section and said second winding surface and being tapered at a greater angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of said spindle than said second winding surface, said winding section further having a plurality of circumferential grooves spaced along the longitudinal axis of said spindle with the grooves in said first winding surface being defined by shallow, smoothly curved surfaces separated by rounded ridges and having a width greater than their depth to provide said first winding surface with a smooth, rippled outer yarn engaging contour; and a supply of yarn wound on the winding section of said spindle with substantially all of the first layers of yarn being disposed on said first winding surface in overlapping layers to define an outer tapered surface facing away from said mounting section of the spindle and with the remaining yarn disposed on said second winding surface in overlapping layers presenting an outer tapered surface substantially the same as that of the layers wound on said first winding surface of the spindle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 764,214 7/1904 Stimpson 242118.31 878,091 2/ 1908 Scharer-Nussbaumer 242175 1,408,202 2/1922 Huser 242-176 X 8 FOREIGN PATENTS 142,804 9/ 1935 Austria. 332,546 7/ 1930 Great Britain. 264,872 2/ 1950 Switzerland.

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

MERVIN STEIN, Examiner.

G. F. MAUTZ, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FILLING QUILL COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SPINDLE MEMBER HAVING A MOUNTING SECTION AT ONE END AND A WINDING SECTION BEGINNING ADJACENT THE MOUNTING SECTION AND EXTENDING THE REMAINING LEGTH OF THE SPINDLE MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID WINDING SECTION INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND TAPERED WINDING SURFACES WITH SAID FIRST WINDING SURFACE BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID MOUNTING SECTION AND SAID SECOND WINDING SURFACE AND BEING TAPERED AT A GREATER ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID SPINDLE THAN SAID SECOND WINDING SURFACE, SAID WINDING SECTION FURTHER HAVING A PLURALITY 